Coxon derides talent show stars

"Back in my day it were all indie guitar bands as far as the eye could see. . ." Joining the trend for ageing musicians to bemoan the current vogue for talent show singers, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon sounded like just another Britpop grumpy old man in an interview with The Independent.

His argument was that instant success was meaningless and that to be an effective songwriter or performer requires hard work. "To get better at anything you have to practice a lot," he said."It doesn't just appear. That's how I feel about it. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned in that sense – that I believe you have to pay your dues. Being a musician is not something you can become overnight."

He lamented the hype of talent shows, where performers try to please judges. "I've only got myself to please," he said. "When I'm on my own in my front room with a guitar, there's no one going to say to me, 'That's really great' if I play some old rubbish. I do believe in doing things right. Which is why The X Factor and The Voice are so disgraceful to me."

With strong rumnours that the end of Olympics show in August could be Blur’s last appearance, Coxon is considering his next move. He wants to test himself in the same way that Damon Albarn has.

"Damon's gone off to Mali and worked with all sorts of different people," Coxon said. "Musically, he's put himself in some weird areas where he might have struggled. He's made some brave and adventurous moves and that's probably what I want to do."